Before anyone develops a closer relationship, feelings must come into play. Five episodes into Queen of the South, and the show is delving into relationships — of Teresa and James, Teresa and Brenda, and Camila and her husband Epifanio — as the audience starts to connect with these characters.
There were more Dallas visuals in this episode than we’ve seen previously. After Teresa picks up Brenda and Tony and confesses to who she works for and what she does, Brenda demands they pull over. They pull into an old gas station and we see Reunion Tower basking in the sunlight.
Brenda starts to panic and does not understand how Teresa could be working for someone who belongs to the group that killed their spouses. Teresa reassures her everything will work out. Later, we see Brenda outside of Longhorn Motel, where she and Tony are staying, talking to a failing drug dealer. She sways him into going to downtown Dallas, where she sells cocaine to a young man in a club — we can see the Bank of America plaza with its signature green lights. Teresa isn’t providing enough for Brenda and Tony to survive, so a girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do, especially with what she knows.
Next, James comes to wake Teresa up — he’s a human alarm clock, this guy — and tells Teresa to come with him because they are going to kill someone.
After the title sequence and commercial break, we are reintroduced to Epifanio and Cesar, sitting at a coffee shop in Mexico as it rains outside. Cesar tells Epifanio that the business Camila is running in Dallas is three times what Epifanio thought it was. We also find out that Epifanio, the powerful drug lord of the south, is running for governor, so while he is leading the people, he is also leading one of the most powerful and dangerous cartels in the world.
We cut back to James and Teresa as they pull up to an apartment complex. Teresa refuses to kill anyone, and that’s when James tells her she is just part of the plan. We find out it’s James’ apartment, and his redheaded Southern Belle of a girlfriend Kim is on the couch watching TV. They kiss hello and James tells her to take Teresa upstairs to pick out a high-end dress, and once the two women get to her closet, Kim says something so southern I’m surprised cowboy boots didn’t appear on my feet like Dorothy’s ruby slippers and a cow didn’t show up in my backyard as if it was summoned: “I’ve got more than I can say grace over.”
As they find a dress and shoes, James goes and gets his sniper rifle for that night’s festivities. So the party attire for the night is snipers and cocktail dresses. Nice.
The episode focuses heavily on the love-hate relationship between Epifanio and Camila, and how they are dealing with their competing businesses. Epifanio is cutting off her supply. Her work life and relationship with her daughter, Isabela, who has been ignoring her calls, is being threatened and for the first time we see a vulnerable Camila, painted red by the lights in the room.
In the next scene we see Teresa interact and walk through the house party where James’ mission is to happen. As Teresa walks through the master bedroom and bathroom, we see caged birds outside. Could this be a symbol of Teresa’s relationship with Camila, and even Camila and Brenda in the caged cartel world?
James calls her and gives her instructions, but the plan doesn’t go through. After arguing in the car about saving the life of a man they see held hostage and killed, James tells Teresa that this is her world now, and the victim’s problem was not theirs to fix.
Before going back to her bunk in the warehouse, Teresa tells James to find someone else to assist him next time, saying “Anyone could have put a dress on and drop a thing off,” to which James replies, “Your job was to learn.” Did anyone else get chills? She is an apprentice! Soon, she is called into Camila’s office, where James and Camila consult about the night’s events.
Camila knows she wants to run, and says how important Teresa is to her because of what she means to Epifanio.
“If you run away, and I had to kill you, I would be disappointed,” Camila says. “Not because of what you have against my husband, but because I’m really starting to like you.”
We are finding out that the relationships developing are all corrupt, and if Teresa does not get out soon, she will be the daughter that Mommy and Daddy fight over — caught in the middle of Camila and Epifanio’s power battle.
We’re about halfway there. Episode No. 6 airs 9 p.m. next Thursday, July 28 on USA.
